Arigato - Thank You
by CruelAngelThesis
Summary: This fic takes place one year ofter EW. Heero seeks relief from his sorrow, but can he find it? How does a Perfect Soldier, in peaceful times, cope? Rated PG13 for language and some violence. Slight romance, but it's minute. R+R


Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gundam Wing. The honchos over at Bandai, Sunrise, and whoever else I forgot to mention, own it. I'm making no money off this. Don't bother suing; you get my money anyway, and you don't even have to pay court costs ^-~

* * *

_"Arigato: Thank you."_

_By: T-chan (or Cruel Angel Thesis)_

* * *

The mountains were streaked with the pale violet rays of the sunset. Slowly, the fiery sky was submitting to the night. Crisp, cold winds blew swiftly through the flowers and grass. The majestic cirrocumulus clouds had fused during the humid afternoon. A storm was in the making.

This small haven on Earth was known by the stains of blood and bone it hid beneath the tranquility. Only years before, it'd been the site of a grisly battle. 

His first mass-murder mission on Earth: 219 dead; no survivors.

Heero Yuy walked slowly through the brush. He came to this place when he needed to clear his head. No one alive, save him, knew of this spot on the Earth.

It was a little over a year after Deikim Barton had tried to take possession of the Earth government. The Perfect Soldier, possibly the most feared Gundam pilot, was next to useless now, at least when it came to his skills as a soldier. He could use his talents to do other things, but he had been, and would always be, the Perfect Soldier.

The sun had completely set by the time he reached the end of the undergrowth. It was a partly cloudy, and very cold, night. He knew he should go back. 

__

Back to what? 

He smirked wearily at the irony of the thought. He really didn't have a 'home', so to speak. He walked on.

A flash of white, serpentine light struck the mountain. A torrent of thick, dark rain pelted down on that part of the Earth. 

- 

Shortly, he reached a gaping field, filled with various kinds flora. He wasn't tired, but he saw no point in continuing to walk, so he lay down in the damp grass. He turned his gaze to the heavens, not really seeing them, but more remembering his experiences within their domain. Every life he had taken. Every suit. Every dying scream...

He shook his head violently, as if trying to rid himself of his thoughts, and bolted up to a sitting position. Breathing heavily, he ran his rough hand through his sodden hair. He didn't understand what had been happening. He'd started having 'attacks' like that about a month after Operation Meteor had been disabled. Duo was the first to suggest seeing a professional about it. To no one's surprise, Heero refused. After long four months of everyone he knew as colleagues asking/begging/threatening/demanding the Perfect Soldier to see someone about the situation, he reluctantly consented. Quatre had his family's personal healthcare giver examine Heero. The doctor told Quatre his diagnosis: He believed Heero to have been suffering from a severe anxiety disorder (noted as Post traumatic Stress Disorder), most likely triggered whenever he thought about his part in the war. This was also doubled by Heero's frequent lapses of depression.

_Dakara? What else is new? _

He had been depressed since the day he came into the realm of the living. The other pilots had shown similar reactions right after the Eve Wars, but their bouts had only lasted about a few weeks...

He shook his head wearily. He knew what was wrong with himself. His mission was complete. He was a lone soldier in peaceful times, peaceful times he, and other soldiers, had fought so hard for. 

He had no more reason to exist. As far as he was concerned, anyway.

He worked his way to a standing position. His laboring breathing was refusing to cease, which made movement almost painful. But his true pain was elsewhere. He continued his walk through the torrents of rain, even though he saw no point in moving.

__

"This is war! Our weapons don't have need for emotions like kindness! Retrain him at once!"

He didn't have any idea of how long he'd been walking. After some time, he found himself standing on the ledge atop of a waterfall. The waterfall went about 170 ft down to the river it created, and about 70 ft wide. He looked down toward the rocks below. They were unusually smooth, for the constant water pressure had eroded the rocks. Heero, even though the frequent peals of thunder, was able to hear the fall's gushing roar.

__

Doushite... 

He sat down again, this time choosing to wade his legs in the subfreezing water by the point in which the falls plunged downward. He began to lose himself in his thoughts.........

- 

By the time he acknowledged his surroundings, it was about ten minutes before the sun would make her first signs of light. It was still raining, but it came down as a gentle sprinkle instead of the monsoon-like torrents of earlier. The clouds were starting to separate as the fierce storm dissipated into air. He looked up to the mountains, and noticed it was almost daybreak. Slowly and stiffly, he pulled his numb legs out of the stream, and worked himself into a standing position. Breathing laboriously, he leaned against a sharp, rock rise in the cliff. Some of the sun's rays were peeking right over the mountains.

He lightly smirked, as he looked at the beautiful scene. A lavender-indigo sunrise, painting the mountains and the scattered clouds a magnificent shade of pastel violet. The valleys, thoroughly cleansed, shimmered a spectacular emerald green. The cold wind, almost dancing through the trees, smelled of the rain. 

But, even in this beautiful morning, he could not find redemption. Nowhere in sight was a breath of any hope of inner peace. 

Heero reached into a pocket of his shirt, and pulled out his gun. He was feeling dizzier than ever, and was having a hard time seeing straight. He stared numbly at the weapon for a few minutes. He walked to the very edge of the falls, and, with a bit of difficulty, stood firm and tall as though feeling no pain. His body was screaming protests against standing, but still, he managed to turn his back to the rising light.

He brought the gun to chest level.

_Gomen nasai, minna. _

Heero shoved the gun into his chest, and pulled the trigger. 

The click from the empty gun echoed throughout the valley. A report that didn't exist threw him violently of the ledge.

He was falling.

__

Duo, Wufei, Quatre, Trowa....Relena.........

In the seconds just before he hit the water, he smiled weakly. The first time for a very long while he'd truly smiled.

He hit the water, hard.

His limp frame began to float slowly down the stream. He was dying from a bloodless gunshot wound, somewhere inside his heart.

* * *

Two days later......

* * *

Duo wearily looked at the buildings and lights speeding past him from the car. The American pilot had been able to squeeze about two hours of sleep into three days of, both physically and mentally, draining work. He had a splitting headache, and he hadn't eaten since the morning before. 

__

Damn you, Heero. 

"Hey, Pargan? About how long will it take to get Brussels?"

The driver looked at the clock on the dashboard.

"At the rate I'm going now, it will take 20 minutes. Is something the matter, Maxwell-san?"

Duo frowned even more so. _Nowhere near fast enough for **me **, pal ._

"How fast can this baby go, Pargan?"

The driver paused to think for a second.

"About 200 maximum, and 150 without risk. Why?"

Duo grinned widely, with a slight hint of sadistic excitement on his peach features.

"Put that petal to the metal, pal, and make that wait 5 minutes, if you don't mind."

Pargan's eyes opened wide at the suggestion.

"_D..de..demo_-!"

"Listen, if the cops hit you, just keep going. If they have a problem with that, they can take it up with Shinigami, _wakatta_ ?

The driver sighed, shook his head, and stepped on the gas petal as hard as possible. Duo smirked grimly.

-------

Relena was shuffling through some paperwork, hoping to drown out her worry. It had been two days since Heero disappeared, and she had heard no updates on the search since the day before. In her meetings with the world leaders, everything they had said pretty much went in one ear and out the other. She was too preoccupied with worry, and with a certain conversation with Heero the day before he became missing.....

* * *

~four days before~

* * *

Relena Darlian walked up the shallow, stone steps in front of the Brussels Mansion. It had been a very long morning. She had been in one of her endless schedule of meetings with yet another foundation. All they ever seemed to want those days was either money or her voice of approval. 

__

Can't ANY of these people make their own decisions?

She elegantly strode into the lobby, and the staff near by bowed to her, while wishing her a happy and prosperous morning. 

If only they knew the half of it.

She smiled at them, and excused them to go on their way. 

She continued walking to the large, ebony doors, which entered into the grand staircase. The former queen of Earth took her time on her walk to her office. As far as she knew, she didn't have any appointments until 1:30, so she had about an hour and a half before she had to leave. And she had every intention of relaxing and possibly catching up on her reading.

Relena unlocked her office door and slowly stepped inside. She softly placed her purse beside the ebony doorframe, and dead bolted the door. She trusted the security, but she didn't want to have any unexpected visitors barging in. She turned to walk to her redwood desk. 

"It's been a while, Relena."

She abruptly turned to the window, obviously spooked by the voice. 

__

Nani? That sounds like....

At first glance, once would have had a hard time discerning him from the rest of the elegant, yet professional, looking background. But she knew who the stranger was before her eyes focused on him.

"Heero..."

The Japanese pilot was looking out the window when she laid eyes on him. Relena wasn't really sure what he was looking at, but what he was viewing was irrelevant. Her hand twitched slightly as he slowly turned to face her.

"Busy, I presume?"

She could only nod weakly, still in shock about finding him in her office. They stayed that way, just looking at each other, for a few seconds (which, to Relena, seemed like an eternity).

She cleared her throat, finally gathering enough of her thoughts to make a coherent sentence.

"Are you doing well, Heero? Do you need help? Are you hurt....?"

His eyes widened in slight surprise of her statement, but shook his head lightly. He drew in a deep breath, then sighed.

"More than you think Relena."

Heero turned completely away from the window and walked leisurely towards Relena. She quickly gathered whatever remained of her composure. She motioned to the ebony daybed by the fireplace.

"Would you like to sit down? You look as though you have something to say."

He paused for a short moment, then silently consented. Relena gazed at his small figure. Something wasn't right. He no longer had a brisk feel about him, his steps were uncertain, his eyes gazed weakly at the Oriental carpeting. He almost seemed...........

What was the word for it? _Helpless_? 

Heero meekly sat down then looked back up at the other.

"I'd like to talk to you for awhile, Relena. That is, if you aren't too busy right now."

Relena walked over to the other couch and sat down, never losing eye contact with the Japanese pilot..

"Even if I had world leaders ramming on my door, I'd still have time to listen to you."

Relena could have sworn that Heero's lips _almost _turned slightly up at her remark.

-

The conversation was mostly chitchat. Relena mostly talked about her new responsibilities as a different kind of authority, while Heero, with what very little he said, described some other things that were happening with the other Gundam pilots. However, Relena knew that Heero came for more than a lovely afternoon talk.

"Heero, what's on your mind? Why did you come?"

Heero raised an eyebrow.

"Not that I mind you just talking to me, Heero, but....."

He shook his head, and slowly stood up.

"I know what you mean. I am dodging the issue, _ne_ ?"

Heero drew in a slight breath, then spoke.

"Relena, have you ever wondered what would have happened had we not won the war? If I died at the end? If ANY of us died at the end...?"

She was taken by surprise by this. Heero? He-who-lives-only-for-the-present, was hypothetically speaking?

"Maybe I have, when my mind finds the chance to wander....but why do you ask, Heero? We ARE alive, and peace has been established..."

He was silent for about a minute.

"Heero, what's wrong?"

"........Relena, what's my purpose anymore? Why can I not fit within this peace that I.. no.. **_we_** all worked so hard for? Why can't I forgive myself? Why do I feel so useless now?"

Oddly enough, he kept his tone of voice calm as he said that. Relena was taken totally aback by those words. 

"Heero.....?"

"I mean....."

He discreetly clenched his fist., then loosened it.

"........I...don't know anymore..."

He shook his head, and walked to the door.

"Gomen nasai for disturbing you, Relena. I've troubled you enough."

She almost ran to beat him to the door.

"Heero, _matte yo._ I want you to know that, in my eyes, you'll never be useless, or unforgiven. We ALL did things that we probably shouldn't have done or could've done better, but still...We have our goal right here in front of us, Heero....We have peace. No more people will have to fight and die on Earth or in space, because of what you guys did! It was soldiers like you Gundam pilots that helped get peace! I just-.."

Heero put his fingertips on her lips.

"You may not know this...."

His hand dropped slightly.

"..but, I'm so happy to hear you say that."

Heero leaned towards her, and tilted his head forward right next to her ear.

"Heero.....?"

"Relena...." he whispered, "...if I were to die today, would you forgive me?"

She relaxed a little, and leaned in a bit herself.

"Of course I would. If you truly wanted it, I'd forgive you no matter what you did."

He closed his eyes, and gave an ever-so slight smile. 

"_Arigato_.....Relena..."

He gently drew her into a tender embrace. Relena didn't offer any resistance, putting her arms around his slender waist.

......._Arigato .....Relena...._

A hard rap on the ebony door brought Relena back to earth.

"uh.....Hai?"

"Relena-san! Pargan is waiting out front! Are you all right?"

She glanced back and forth. The clock on her desk flashed 1:15 pm.

__

Have I been standing here like an idiot for the past twenty minutes?

She wondered if seeing Heero had just been a whimsical dream. The leather couch in which he sat was slightly winkled, and the window to the outside was open.

__

The window's open?!

She quickly checked out the window to make sure that there wasn't a suicidal Heero laying on the pavement almost 100ft below. Her fears were relieved.

_He'd survive the fall. Even so, he'd not jump. Not here, anyway _

Relena quickly grabbed her purse and jogged out the door. At least seeing him had really happened.....

* * *

~_Arigato......Relena........._~

* * *

_Where are you Heero? What are you trying to accomplish?_

The door swiftly opened. The silhouette of a young adult stood in the doorway.

Relena looked up, and grinned slightly.

"_Maa_, if it isn't the _Shinigami_ himself."

"Damn straight." 

The American pilot was dressed head-to-toe in jet-black denim. He stepped into the room.

Duo didn't look like he had good news.

"We found him."

Relena shot out of her leather chair, almost knocking it over in the process.

"You did? _Doko ka_ ?!"

"I don't know the exact place.""

His pale features turned grim as he gestured to the doorway.

"I'll fill you in on the developments in the limo. C'mon. We have to hurry, and I mean _hurry_ . "

Relena nodded in response. She jostled the papers she'd been working on into a folder and shoved it inside her desk. She quickly walked into the closet and grabbed her coat and purse. 

"_Ikisho yo _."

Relena rushed out the door, with Duo close behind.

* * *

"What time is it Pargan? I left my watch on my desk."

"_anou_.......1:54 a.m. Relena-sama." 

"_Domo yo _."

Duo's grim look, if possible, had deepened since they'd left. 

Relena quietly turned to the young man seated next to her.

"Duo, what happened to Heero?"

Duo's tired, cobalt blue eyes gazed toward Relena's direction. His voice greatly professed his fatigue.

"As I said earlier, I was never informed on where they found him. The only thing I've heard is that they found him in the middle of nowhere."

He cleared his throat, then continued.

"Right now, he's in Saint Anthony's Medical Center. Critical condition, last I checked."

"Critical? _That _bad?"

He nodded his head slowly.

"Complications set in long before we found him. I mean, he was a mess when they brought him in. They really don't know why he was still alive when the Maganacs found him."

"...How...did they know where to look? You said Heero was in the middle of nowhere..."

Duo shrugged.

"I guess Quatre sent them to a certain area. Damn! Maybe there _is _ something to that _Uchuu no Kokoro_ of his..."

Relena gave a weak smile.

"Nice try at humor, Duo. _Gokurousan yo._."

Duo yawned loudly, then shrugged. 

"_Gomen ne_. I hate being this depressing.........."

A silence fell for a few minutes. Then, a cell phone in Duo's pocket rang. He nearly hit the roof of the limousine (he had almost dozed off) and quickly answered it.

"_Yo. Ore Shinigami da _." 

Relena rolled her eyes, then her mind started to ramble. Duo had always especially liked messing with people on the phone. Since he (like most people of the day) had a form of Caller ID, he'd always know a friend from a customer. She'd heard one of her favorite lines one day when she called the junkyard: "Good day! Shinigami's Morgue; you kill 'em, we chill 'em." She almost laughed out loud when she remembered one time when Chang had called Duo, and he made Chang think he'd called a gay-sex hotline! _ ..I don't think I'd ever heard 'kisama' used so many times in a sentence before, either.... _

Duo's half-closed eyes shot up in shock.

"_Nani yo_?!......._Hai....Hai !_.......I'll get there right away!

He switched the phone off.

"Pargan! Go faster!"

"But we're going almost forty miles over the spee-.."

"_Kamaimasen _!! We might already be too late! _Hayaku_ !!!"

Duo's shouting had yanked Relena back to earth.

"Duo, _doushita ka?_ Who called?"

The young man's face had turned pale, and his face was set in grim scowl. He settled back into his seat, cleared his throat, and turned to the concerned young woman. However, he didn't look into her eyes.

"Hilde called. Heero stopped breathing. They have him on total life support now..."

Relena couldn't believe it.

"...and..."

His eyes finally met hers. Relena saw pure apprehension in his cobalt eyes.

"...they don't think Heero will live through the night."

* * *

Five minutes later, the limousine screeched to a halt in front of Saint Anthony's Medical Center. Pargan hadn't even had the chance to stop the limo completely before the two passengers had bailed out the rear door and ran to the front of the large building. The aged driver shook his head, and began to look around for a spot where one could _legally_ park a 15 ft. long vehicle.

* * *

The American pilot held the door open for Relena. She was about to thank him, but he shook his head.

"Relena-san! It's been awhile."

Hilde walked into the hall to greet the pair.

"I'm glad you guys got here so quick."

"_Nagara_ , I could've gotten here faster in Death Scythe Hell....."

Hilde rolled her eyes. She motioned both of them inside the room.

Relena was surprised at seeing all the Gundam pilots in one place at the same time. Trowa and Quatre were quietly sitting by the wall to her left. Chang Wufei was meditating in the corner to her diagonal right. Sally Po, using the chair across from her as a footrest, was sitting a few chairs down from the Dragon Soldier. Dorothy was sitting a few chairs to the left of the door in which Relena was standing. 

Dorothy and Quatre stood up at the same time. Quatre beat Dorothy to Relena.....

"Relena-san! Duo-san! I thought.. -ACK!"

...However, Dorothy beat him to the punch. Literally. She, rather forcefully, shooed the Arabian pilot to the side (and into the nearby wall) . Hilde, Duo, and Relena sweatdropped.

"Relena-san! Good to see you again."

"ah...You too, Dorothy. Did you want to tell me something?"

"How'd you guess?"

".........I...have my ways...."

Quatre, who was still reeling from the unexpected push into the wall, was being helped up by Trowa and Duo.

* * *

"You mean...?"

"Hai, Relena-san."

The Arabian pilot took a sip of his _ocha _. He'd taken an odd liking to Japanese green tea during the past few months.

"So, what are the injuries? There's a reason as to why he's in critical."

Quatre shook his head slightly. He didn't know where to start. Finally, after a moment or so of silence, he cleared his throat.

"They have no idea why he's reacting like this. The apparent injuries would be considerably serious to a normal human; however, Heero is far from normal. He proved that on more than one occasion."

Relena raised an eyebrow.

"Explain, Quatre."

He thought for a few seconds.

"Most of his injuries came from a fall he took. He fell from a cliff and into a stream a little under 200 ft below. He had a broken arm and collar bone, both wrists were fractured, slight head trauma, a serious case of hypothermia, but, oddly, no internal bleeding.."

"Why would that be odd?"

"Water isn't a good cushion. I'd rather fall from 200ft into water than normal soil and rock, but there's very little difference in the long run. And, from appearance, that water wasn't very deep. A few meters at most. The impact would be minutely softened, but he'd have hit the bottom pretty hard anyway. But, that's not what they're worried about...."

"What's wrong, then?'

Quatre paused, trying to think of a way to explain this odd condition.

"When we got back, he started throwing up blood, so they checked out his chest area. There was a blood pool forming in his lungs, but they had no idea why it was forming."

"You said yourself that he fell a long way. Maybe a rib bone pierced an artery."

Quatre shook his head, his tea forgotten. 

"What you say would be the logical conclusion. The doctors thought they might have missed a small puncture wound if it'd been allowed to set for a few days. But, when they did the rescan...they found nothing amiss. No puncture wounds, no holes, no problems......_dakedo_..."

Trowa could tell that Quatre was tired, both physically and mentally.

Dorothy seemed to have read Trowa's mind, so she continued:

"What Quatre-kun means, is there was nothing wrong with Heero as far as his chest area is concerned. But, the effects of that wound are very similar to those of a pointblank gunshot wound....."

Relena quietly pondered the information.

"Did Heero have a gun with him?"

Dorothy stroked her chin while thinking.

"He did......It was lying near the base of the stream. But, the gun wasn't loaded. And, when we tested it, the gun showed absolutely no signs of being fired for at least a year. In other words, there's no chance in hell he used it a mere few days ago."

Relena rubbed her temples. _This is too damn confusing,_ she thought. She looked around the brightly-lit waiting room in an attempt to distract herself. Dorothy was sitting two chairs to her right, while Quatre and Trowa were sitting across from her. Trowa had also convinced Quatre to drink his (now cold) _ocha _. Duo was leaning on Hilde's shoulder, dozing. Hilde looked like she was ready to doze off herself. Chang had halted his meditation and left the room for a few minutes, then returned. Sally was still looking at the magazines, even though she'd probably read them all several times by then. Chang had even said a few words to Sally before he returned to his trance.

About 20 to 30 minutes passed by, when, suddenly, one of the doctors stepped in through a side door.

"Winner-san, may I speak with you briefly?"

Quatre nodded as he stood up. The doctor motioned the Arabian pilot into the room in which he'd just came.

* * *

Dorothy looked at her watch impatiently.

"The doctor's had Quatre in that damn room for almost 15 minutes! What's the big deal?!"

All of a sudden, the door swiftly opened. The blond young man stepped out, keeping his head facing downward, not daring to look any of the others in the eye. Hilde spoke up first:

"What's wrong, Quatre-kun?"

Quatre wiped his eyes on his sleeve and looked up. It was apparent that the pilot had been weeping. He spoke just above a whisper.

"Duo-san. Relena-san....Come in here."

Relena stood up as Hilde shook Duo awake. Quatre choked down a sob.

"Hurry. The doctor will explain everything to you two."

Relena and a slightly groggy Duo made their way inside the other room. Quatre shut the door behind them.

* * *

The doctor led them down a hall and told them to sit down. There was a bench that could seat about 5 to 6 people, which is where the doctor motioned them to sit. Duo and Relena were preparing themselves for whatever the news was, but Quatre held his head in his hands, trying to calm himself down.

"I asked Winner-san to bring in the people that would most need to see Yuy-san. Are you two family or friends?"

"We're friends".

The doctor nodded slightly.

"As you both know, the patient is on total life support right now. However, even with this measure, he is still fading at an unbelievable rate."

The pair was in shock. Quatre tried his hardest not to burst out weeping again.

"I won't lie to you. This young man will die very soon, regardless of what we do. We've done all we can just to keep him alive this long."

Duo was ready to comfort Relena if she had the same reaction as Quatre, but she remained calm. Relena impassively spoke:

"Where is his room? I think Duo and I would like to see him."

The doctor motioned to the room 3 doors down the hall. Room ICU-12.

* * *

The room was pure white. It almost shined because of the bright, artificial lights. There was a noticeable humming in the room emanating from the life support machines he was hooked up to. One could have almost mistaken Heero for a mummy because of all the bandages on the exposed areas of his muscular, yet sleek frame. The bandages on his forehead were threatening to fall off. Both of his arms were wrapped to his shoulders with bandages. His bare chest was wrapped in gauze and support tape, keeping several blood IVs in place. His face was facing the ceiling. The heart beat monitor beeped in tune with his heart rhythm.

Quatre chose to remain outside. He knew his heart would break if he saw Heero dying. Duo and Relena walked in.

Duo leaned against the wall to Heero's left, while Relena kneeled by his side.

"Heero.....wake up...."

The Japanese pilot squinted without opening his eyes. He slightly bent his neck and head to the side she was on. His eyes slightly opened.

".............Relena....."

She put her fingertips on his lips. _He must be in so much pain._ she thought. Even though he killed so many during the wars, he was a victim of them as well. She wished with all her heart that she could take away at least some of his agony. Relena gently stroked the young man's hair out of his face.

"_Daijoubu_ . I'm here for you. Duo is right behind me. We came to see you, Heero."

Heero strained his eyes to look at them both. The Japanese pilot looked into Duo's eyes, and saw nothing but grief. Duo almost looked like he would go hysterical.

_ It's all right_ , he wanted to tell the other pilot, _Don't look so sad. _

"._......Ore ga_...."

Relena tenderly held his head in her embrace. If he was dying, she was going to make it as comfortable as possible for him.

Heero winced as he moved his arm. He laid his cold, yet strangely warm hand on the back of her jawbone. His Persian blue eyes met hers.

"Relena.......If I died today.....would you forgive me...?"

His question confused her slightly, but she smiled warmly, placed her hand over his, and answered.

"Of course I would. If you truly wanted it, I'd forgive you no matter what you did."

He smiled weakly. 

_I'm sorry for doing this to you all._

For one of the few times in his life, he was truly happy.

"_Arigato......Relena......_"

He drew his hand back slightly, looked in her compassionate eyes one more time before closing his, and then drew in a breath.

That was his last. 

* * *

~a few days later~

Heero's funeral was a small, private event, which they held inside St. Peter's Cathedral. Only the pilots and their associates came (Quatre had to keep the Maganuacs from playing with the candles). Duo was back to normal. He even begged the priest to let him do the sermon! Chang Wufei and Sally Po were going to return to the Preventers the next day. Trowa and Catherine would keep working at the circus. Quatre, his sisters, and the Manganacs, would continue working the Winner businesses. Duo and Hilde would continue the junkyard. Relena would return to Brussels and the endless work of earth and colonial peace, and Dorothy would help out with other departments.

As Pargan drove back to Brussels, Relena began to think about Heero again. He had looked so at peace when he took his last breath. It was like all his pain, anger, regret, and guilt had been taken from him. He could finally rest.

The limo pulled up the roundabout driveway. A valet opened the door for her. She stepped out, then stopped to look at the sky. It was a beautiful day. She smiled lightly.

"The blue sky should always be high and clear no matter where it is..._ne, Heero_ ?" 

* * *

_~Owari~_

* * *

Author's Note: I actually finished this story in June 2001, but I didn't publish it on ff.net until early Spring 2002 ^.^;;; Quite a procrastinator I am, _ne_? Also, I've give you a cookie if you can guess where the last quote in this came from ^-~


End file.
